Diaspora donors? Who are they anyway? The term diaspora refers to a population that shares a common ethnic identity that were forced to leave or left voluntarily and became residents far from their homeland. Diaspora donors are communities of people, residing and working outside their country of origin who give generously to their country of origin or homeland. Diaspora donors could include recent immigrants and refugees, second or even third generation Americans who give to various philanthropic efforts to their homeland countries.

Diaspora giving DO NOT include the remittances immigrants and refugees send regularly to their families and relatives as personal gifts or to support their family’s basic necessities. Diaspora giving encompasses philanthropic giving that benefit the community at large which include the gamut of international projects from providing health and education assistance to large-scale community and infrastructure projects.

Remittances and donations are expected to decrease slightly but continue to be steady despite the recent economic meltdown. The Economist article thinks this is great news!